Comments (0) Best Thai Restaurant - 2011
Thai Flavor
Readers' Choice: Thai Basil
Surin Thanon is a native of Chiang Mai in northern Thailand, and she brings her capable touch to everything on the menu at Thai Flavor, which includes such standards as pad Thai and Thai curries, as well as specialties from her home — with some, like certain whole-fish dishes, that aren't even translated into English. The fresh green papaya salad, tangy tom yum goong soup and stir-fried noodle offerings are standouts, but the biggest draw is the curries, which are simultaneously hearty and delicate; sweet, savory and spicy; and complexly layered with garlic, ginger, woody galangal and piney lemongrass. Thickened with coconut milk, they're laced with racy green or red Thai chiles (grown in Thanon's garden) or toasted cumin and topped with a smattering of sweet-tart kaffir lime leaves or a few sprigs of fresh basil. Denver has had Thai restaurants for decades, but with Thai Flavor, it finally got a superb Thai restaurant.
